In response to our WE’RE HERE FOR YOU: RUSU’S NEXT STEPS document that we shared, the Uni have responded
outlining how they are working to achieve these goals. We have been
Working with the University on many of these points in the last week, and look forward to continuing to work with
the University to achieve these steps.
Dear Molli, Fifi, Gemma, Zeid and Daisy
Thank you for your recent letter in which you made some recommendations for next steps to further support our
student community to mitigate the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
These suggestions are very helpful and, further to Elizabeth’s previous email to Fifi on 18 April, we are writing
to report that many are already in progress. Please see below for an update on each of these in turn.
CIP Process
We are working on some updates to the Circumstances Impact Process (CIP) form to make this more straightforward
and with less emphasis on evidence required. We hope these changes will be made this week, but they will also need
up-loading to RISIS which may take a bit longer. We know that you, Fifi, have offered to work with the relevant
Teaching & Learning Deans on this and we are very grateful for that.
Marks ‘Safety net’ rationale
We have published two additional ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ on our Essentials
webpage on the marks ‘safety net’, which provide further information about our decision-making for the marks
‘safety net’. We hope this helps explain our rationale and provide reassurance that we have made these decisions
with the best interests of our students at the forefront of our minds.
Re-sit plans
We are finalising decisions and starting preparations for the August/September re-sit period and we will
communicate details shortly once we can provide full details for those students who will be taking assessments
during this period of time.
Communications platforms
The home page of our website has a prominent link to a dedicated ‘COVID-19 information page’ which then has
further links for specific advice for current students, staff, and prospective students. We have also published
all significant updates on our social media channels, as well as sending regular email updates to all students. We
would be very happy to hear further thoughts or suggestions from you about what type of additional information
students would find useful to be shared on social media.
Information sharing
We have been offering additional advice for our Academic Tutors to help them provide the best support for
students at this time. We always strive to provide students with answers to their queries as quickly as possible.
We recognise, however, that the speed at which some decisions have been made, combined with the challenges of a
sudden shift to home-working, has meant it has been difficult at times to ensure these are communicated
effectively to everyone who needs to know. Please rest assured that we will continue to do our utmost to keep all
students and staff updated with the latest information.
Finalist support
We are committed to providing careers support for our finalists and taught postgraduate students in particular at
this time. We would encourage students to contact the Careers team for an online consultation appointment if they
would like further advice. With regards to providing a letter for employers, it is important to note that we hope
our marks ‘safety net’ and CIP will mitigate negative impact on students’ results. However, we would be happy to
discuss this idea further with you to find out more about what you think would be most helpful for students.
PG students
We recognise that both taught and research postgraduate students will have particular needs and we are working on
plans to support them over the summer period in particular. We will continue to do our best to provide these
students with tailored advice.
Government support
Please do share any draft letters with us and we will consider how best to share them with relevant government
stakeholders.
We hope this update is useful and we look forward to continuing to work with you to support our student community
at this time.
Best wishes
Elizabeth and Julian
Professors Elizabeth McCrum and Julian Park
Pro-Vice-Chancellors (Education and Student Experience)
Vice-Chancellor’s Office
e.m.mccrum@reading.ac.uk
j.r.park@reading.ac.uk